What assessments are needed to provide support for an accurate periodontal diagnosis and treatment plan?

Assessments are the first step in the dental hygiene process of care. They provide a foundation for diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation.

The assesments and information needed include:

1. Medical History
2. Dental History
3. Chief complaint
4. Clinical examination
5. Extraoral and intraoral assessments
6. Oral hygiene assessment
7. Periodontal assessments
8. Dentition assessments
9. Radiographic examination

Medical History

• Identifies systemic diseases and conditions
• Helps to identify oral manifestations of systemic disease
• Identifies medications that may have oral manifestations

Dental History

• Identifies chief complaint
• Previous dental treatment
• Oral habits-clenching, grinding, smoking, tobacco use
• Existing restorations or pathologies

Extra oral and Intra oral exam

• Palpation of head and neck-identifies swollen lymph nodes or visually inspect and record suspected lesions
• Gingival description
• Atypical or abnormal pathology or conditions

Oral Hygiene Assesment

• Identifies patients oral hygiene technique
• Informs clinician of what tools and education to implement
• Allows clinician to educate pt. on oral hygiene

Periodontal Assessments

• Marginal bleeding index
• Probing
• Bleeding on Probe
• Recession
• Clinical Attachment loss
• Furcation involvement
• Mobility
• Fremitus

Dentition Assesments

• Presence of caries
• Restoration status
• Presence of open contacts
• Tooth wear: abrasion, abfraction, erosion.

• Identifies crown to root ratio
• Height of alveolar crest
• Presence of lamina dura
• Vertical or Horizontal bone defects
• Presence of periodontal or endodontic abscess
• Pathology in bone
• Trabecular pattern
• Discrepancies in PDL